Licuado de Nopal (Cactus Smoothie)
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Updated Oct 05, 2026
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This refreshing Licuado de Nopal (Cactus Smoothie) is one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh nopales beyond the savory Mexican dishes I grew up eating. Made with raw nopal, cucumber, fresh lime juice, and water, it’s light, tart, and comes together in just 2 minutes.
I first learned about this simple licuado from my friend Ania more than a decade ago, when we discovered our shared love of nopales during a Christmas gathering. She told me she drank a nopal smoothie every morning and shared her simple combination with me. I’ve been making my own version ever since.
Why This Is Muy Bueno
What I love most about this cactus smoothie is its simplicity. My version uses just four ingredients: fresh raw nopal, cucumber, lime juice, and water. There’s no added sugar, dairy, or complicated prep.
I also like to clean and slice several nopal paddles at once, portion them into freezer bags, and keep them frozen for smoothies. That little bit of prep makes this 2-minute licuado especially easy to blend in the morning.
Ingredients
You only need four simple ingredients to make my licuado de nopal:
- Nopal: Use a fresh, cleaned cactus paddle with the spines removed. You can use it fresh or frozen. Learn how to clean and prepare nopales.
- Cucumber: Peel and chop it before blending.
- Lime: Freshly squeezed lime juice gives the smoothie its bright, tart flavor.
- Water: Use more as needed for a thinner consistency.
- Crushed ice, optional: For a colder, frostier smoothie.
How to Make Licuado de Nopal
This cactus smoothie takes just a couple of minutes to make. If you’re starting with a whole cactus paddle, first clean and prepare the nopal by removing the spines and trimming the edges. You can use the nopal fresh or use some that you’ve already sliced and frozen.
Step 1: Add the ingredients. Place the nopal, cucumber, fresh lime juice, water, and crushed ice, if using, in a blender.
Step 2: Blend. Blend until smooth, adding a little more water if needed to reach your preferred consistency.
Licuado de Nopal Variations
I love this licuado de nopal as written, but it’s also easy to customize depending on what you have on hand or how sweet you like your smoothies.
- Adjust the consistency: For a thinner smoothie, add a little more water and blend until smooth.
- Coconut water: Replace the water with coconut water.
- Add fruit: Blend in frozen pineapple, mango, banana, or berries for natural sweetness.
- Lemon instead of lime: Fresh lemon juice works well if you don’t have lime.
Have you tried another fruit combination with nopal? Let me know in the comments. I always love hearing how you make these recipes your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. I use cleaned, raw nopal in this licuado. There’s no need to cook it first. If you’re starting with a whole cactus paddle, be sure to remove the spines and trim the edges before washing and adding it to the blender. See my guide to preparing nopales for step-by-step instructions.
I like to cube and freeze my cleaned nopales before making this smoothie. Blend the ingredients thoroughly, and add a little more water as needed until you reach your preferred consistency.
Look for fresh nopales in the produce section of Mexican or Latin markets and many well-stocked supermarkets. You may find whole cactus paddles with the spines intact or nopales that have already been cleaned and trimmed.
I enjoy this licuado as written, but you can blend in pineapple, mango, banana, or berries for natural sweetness.
More Nopal Recipes
Did you make this Licuado de Nopal? I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a ⭐ star rating and a comment below.
Ingredients
- ½ cup nopal (cactus paddle), cleaned, spines removed, and sliced
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 cup water
- crushed ice, optional
Instructions
- Add the nopal, cucumber, lime juice, water, and crushed ice, if using, to a blender.
- Blend until smooth. Add additional water as needed to reach your preferred consistency.
Notes
- Meal-prep tip: I like to clean and slice fresh nopales, portion them into freezer bags, and freeze them for smoothies. You can blend the nopal straight from frozen.
- Consistency: For a thinner licuado, blend longer or add a little more water.
- Coconut water: You can replace the water with coconut water if you prefer.
- Sweeter smoothie: For natural sweetness, blend in frozen pineapple, mango, banana, or berries.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Jeanine Thurston & Jenna Sparks
While I agree with the assertion that drinking nopales smoothies is likely to decrease absorption of nutrients, the continual consumption of it would seem to have the potential to how to share with absorption of nutrients that the body really needs. I’m a little confused by the author’s location in Colorado, which seems to contrast with the warmer locations where the most authentic Mexican nopales are grown.
I’ve also noticed that eating the police seems to cause some stomach rotation and or indigestion related to the way it interferes with absorption in the upper small intestine.
I support the use of nopales in moderation. It is interesting to consider the degree to which some people’s ancestors may have consumed nopales more than others’… and how we can discuss optimal matching between foods and genotype while still remaining politically correct. Thank you for posting.
This was very tasty. Will probably add a chunk of pineapple to sweeten it up just a tad. Hope this helps reduce my spouse’s high cholesterol.
Liquado de Nopales, YUM. plan on trying it. Loved your posting on the Mango, Jicama etc Salad. Very refreshing. Thx’s for sharing, Cuz.
Juana
Can you use a juicer instead of a blender
Do you use raw nopal for the smoothy?
Ca
Please make sure to add that nopales have to be cleaned by peeling them and trimming the edges
Meaning all the black spots containing torns have to go and washed before putting in blendee for this smoothie.
Hello – Did you and your husband continue drinking this licuado?
I have a question about the smoothie recipe. Do I drink this smoothie everyday ,for how long do I drink it? Other than this question the smoothie seem to have a good taste. Thank you and God Bless Eulalia Jensen
Where I live in have one of the plants outside my door..Am I able to use those and how do I pick the best ones.
Absolutely! They don’t get more organic than that. Pick firm cactus paddles and be sure to wear gloves and with a knife scrape off all those pesky needles. Good luck!